Christ Community Church, a 200-member Presbyterian congregation, has been meeting at Rashkis Elementary School in Meadowmont since 2005.

They have found a 9-acre piece of land near the town's fire station off U.S. 15-501 south of where they'd like to build their church, and they've offered to pay the town $475,000 for it.

But town staff members are advising the Town Council that the land serves as a unique southern gateway into Chapel Hill along Mount Carmel Church Road. The council already rebuffed one purchase offer from a private developer in 2007.

At the very least, staff wants council to set conditions that would prevent the church from clear-cutting and developing the whole site, something the church has already promised not to do.

"This property is almost twice the needed acreage requirement for the church's envisioned facilities," wrote real estate agent Michael Lewis in a letter to the town.

Lewis said the church was willing not only to preserve wooded areas along Mount Carmel Church and Bennett roads but also to make the church's parking lot available as a Park and Ride lot during the week.

When Ernest and Hazel Craige first donated the land to the town in 2000 for open space, town staff said it was "one of the few pieces of ridge-top open space in the town's open space inventory."

The church would like to site its building right at the top of that ridge. Dwight Bassett, the town's economic development director, said that wouldn't necessarily compromise the public's enjoyment of the views.

"If that is a public church, I think that they would have less concern with people coming into the parking lot during the week," said Bassett. "We could have a viewing station there."

The land is also a key part of the town's Wilson Creek Trail parallel to U.S. 15-501 between Bennett Road and the Chatham County line. Staff members are recommending that if the council is willing to part with the land the town require the church to preserve part of it as open space.

"This is one of those where the council's going to need to make a decision," said parks and recreation director Butch Kisiah.

If the town does decide to sell, it will need to hold an auction or advertise for additional bids.

jesse.deconto@nando.com or 932-8760